


Unveiling the unexpected

by mypropeller



Category: Arctic Monkeys, Last Shadow Puppets
Genre: Alex is a rich writer, Boys In Love, M/M, Miles is a middle-class worker and somehow ends up at the Turner's, More tags to be added, Slow Build, Victorian England, probably smut at some point
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-29
Updated: 2016-11-09
Packaged: 2018-08-27 20:12:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8415079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mypropeller/pseuds/mypropeller
Summary: 1889Miles Kane, a sprightly young man, finds an employment at the Turner's. There he meets Alex, an equally as young writer with a lack of inspiration.The two provide each other with what they ache for the most, leaving them to figure out how exactly they can, in a society like this, ever be truly happy and ultimately content.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey Guys! 
> 
> So I decided to have a try at my very first fiction that did not actually start out as a complete joke and with which I actually roughly know in which direction I want to take it.  
> The whole nineteenth century-thing is a beloved thing for me so I figured it would be a great scenario to set a plot in :)  
> I maybe should have waited, but, even though it's night, I was so keen to get it up that I simply could not resist the urge. I still hope it's at least moderately acceptable.
> 
> I know, this is rather short, but honestly, it is just the very small start. 
> 
> Have fun reading!

**_1889, London_ **

“May I bring you something, dear?“, she said, entering the room without bothering to knock. With her light brown hair tied up in a bun and the reserve with which she treated him as of late she might as well have been a housemaid, if it wasn’t for the delicacy the lace of her dress was crafted with and the softness of her hands. She was not any housemaid. She was his wife.

“No, but could you please pull the curtains to the sides? The dimness of this room makes me so ridiculously sleepy, even though I already had more hours of sleep than any person would ever need.”

“Do not trouble over that.”, she said as she did how she had been told.  “You still need to rest.”

A rather annoyed sigh was his response.

“I will be gone for a while, if you permit. Olive is at home with her newborn and I told her I would visit some time.”

“Do what you please. And tell her congratulations from me, too.”

“And if you shall need anything, call for Alice, will you?”

With a thud she closed the heavy door behind herself and he was, once again, left alone in the room that served as nothing but a cage to him. His tired eyes wandered around, desperate to find something new, something exciting. But his plea was not fulfilled. The number of embroidered flowers on the seat cover’s rich brocate stayed the same and the dull colour of the sky that he was able to see from his current position once again perfectly reflected the emptiness of his mind.

He needed to write something, yet he could not. The ink and the paper to his right were becoming more of a threat, as opposed to the best friends they had once been.

He was aching for a good conversation.

 

-

 

Miles Kane,  a slenderly built young man, was hurrying down the street as he slipped his black coat on and was surely attracting the gazes of several woman whom he passed by while doing so.

Not being able to properly manage time had always been one of his few weaknesses and even though he knew about that, he constantly found himself in the always same situation of having to hurry wherever he had to go.

Drawing breath, he flattened his jacket and plucked at his sleeves, for he was sure that a good first impression on his future employers was of utmost importance. He then took the big metal knocker and knocked.

When the door opened, from behind it emerged a small blonde with a girlish face. She was not who he was looking for, however.

“Good afternoon.” He said with a gentle smile.

“Good afternoon. You must be Mr. Kane. Mrs. Turner already said she was expecting you today. May I lead you inside, Sir?”

She led him into the sitting room through a hall which, decorated with inexplicable thoughtfulness and containing expensive objects wherever he could look, impressed him.

“Mr. Kane, whom you awaited, Mrs. Turner. Shall I bring some tea?” the housemaid said as she bowed down to the undoubtedly beautiful brunette woman who had just risen from her seat next to an enormous bookshelf.

“Yes. Thank you, Alice, that would be lovely. Oh, Hello, Mr. Kane. I was just now wondering when you would come. I am very pleased that you came.” She gestured towards an armchair. “Make yourself comfortable.”

“The pleasure is all mine, Mrs. Turner. Thank you.”

Mrs. Turner was younger than he had expected, not more than three or five years older than him, he guessed. Her rich gown suggested that she was truly of wealth, but he had known so beforehand. In this moment he was nothing but grateful towards his uncle, a man preferably keeping company with those from the higher circles of society, who had made it possible for him to work again.

After numerous minutes of lively chatter while drinking tea she started addressing the topic because of which he was there in the first place.

“Now, Mr. Kane, that I have found that you are, and this is said not to flatter but to tell the truth, a truly capable man, I will tell you what you are to do whilst working here. I have written down where there is need for any reparation in this house and you will find all you need to fix those matters in the small room next to the kitchen. Alice, who you have already met, will show you.”

“Surely”, Miles nodded.

“The times to which you need to come here will vary, but I have already heard that flexible working times do not trouble you. You will receive your payment weekly.”

“Thank you, ma’am. Is there anything else I need to be aware of?”

“As far as I know not. But I am afraid I have to ask you for something else. My husband, Alexander, is currently compelled not to leave the bed, or the house, for that matter. It would be lovely of you to look after him every once in a while, too, as Alice is most of the time already sufficiently occupied with her work in the house.”

“How unfortunate to hear that your husband is not well. I will gladly do as told.” Miles said as he put down his porcelain cup. He, indeed, had wondered where the spouse of that lady in front of him was during the whole conversation as he knew that she was married. Still, he was not particularly keen on having to deal with an injured and most probably moody and snarky man. He guessed that he had to be older than her, by far, as she seemed to be the perfect woman for a senescent simply in need for a jewel to show to his equally as rich contemporaries.

“Yes, it indeed truly is unfortunate.” She remarked.”But I am confident that he will recover well. He suffered from pneumonia for a longer period of time and has now recently broken his leg, which forces him to stay in bed for an even bigger amount of time. But I do not want to trouble you any longer. Will you be able to start tomorrow?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! 
> 
> I've been busy for long enough and am now back with a whole lot of words. Really, the chapter is, for me at least, really long.  
> Finally, something is happening! Let the games begin :)
> 
> I hope you like it :) Enjoy!

The following morning, loud hammering noises from the corridor tore apart the heavy strands that held him in his sleep. 

He rubbed his eyes, stretched his arms and ruffled his shaggy hair. The annoyance that filled him at the thought of spending another day in utter passivity served its purpose and led him to decide that today would not be another one to let pass by. 

The motivation that he felt was partly also caused by noticing that there were other people spending their time with an activity that served a purpose. One of those people certainly was the foreign person in the corridor, as he knew that their housemaid was not someone for such activities.

He put aside the covers and shivered from the sudden cold. Stabilizing himself wherever he could, only using his right leg, curiosity made him make his way to the door and he slowly dozed it open. 

The quiet observation of his seemed to go unnoticed by the man who sat on the floor as he beat the nails into the floorboards with his back turned to Alexander.

When the man stopped, he decided to make him aware of his presence.

“Good morning.”

A flinch of surprise shot through the man and he immediately rose to his feet, visibly confused.

“Good morning, I am Miles Kane.” The man had bright brown eyes and was of a young age, too. 

“I am Alexander, as you might know.”

“Yes, I do”, he laughed nervously. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Turner. I was just a little taken aback, as I did not expect you to leave your room. If there shall be anything I could do for you … are you alright?” 

He tripped over his words, which made Alex smirk. He laughed.

“Oh, please”, he said. “Do not call me Mr. Turner, there is really no need for such formalities. You are welcome to call me Alex.” 

“Thank you. Can I do something for you? Just let me know. I will go downstairs now either way and get the paint.” He gestured towards the new and blank floorboards. 

“No, nothing in particular. Except for one thing … could you take a blanket with you? I would like to sit here for a bit and accompany you, if you do not resent.” 

He eyed the still slightly perplexed boy. But something about him caught his interest in a way that there was no chance of him letting an opportunity to talk to Miles pass by. 

“No, of course not.”

Weirdly intrigued by the other boy, Alex watched him collecting his tools.

Miles, on the other hand, was still more than confused, for he had expected the so-called Mr. Turner to be the exact opposite of the young, doe-eyed creature whose acquaintance he had made just a moment ago.

Instead of a moody, sick and old man the boy was fresh-faced and rather pleasant to the eye and, even though he had seemed a little shy, he was charming and kind. While Miles painted the floorboards, Alex sat on a huge armchair, wrapped in a blanket, and the two indulged in a remarkably lively conversation.

Alex himself did not seem to be too self-centered, unlike Miles had expected from a man of such wealth with a wife whose biggest priorities were, as far as he understood, reputation and financial means. The flood of words out of Miles’ mouth soon came natural to him and he found himself entangled in talking about his past, too, visions of the future and interests, but he did not feel like he was saying too much as the writer showed genuine interest in him.

At the sound of a massive door clicking shut downstairs, Alex flinched. He knew it was his wife coming home and he decided to return to his bed. Strangely he did not want her to know that Miles and he had had more than a purely casual conversation. If Miles was crestfallen, he did not display any indication of being so.

 

The following few weeks Alex occasionally left his bed to spend time with Miles again. Having written remarkably much, his temper was better than ever and he was somehow conscious that only Miles was the cause for that sudden wave of inspiration, that lively young man whose accent he could not quite pin down and had yet neglected to ask about.  
Sometimes Miles would come when he had finished working, sit to Alex’s feet and the two would talk until the sun was on the verge of fully disappearing from the sky.  
And on his way home, Miles would recall all they had talked about, silently smile to himself and already be excited for his next day of work. Having lived solely for work for the past year after life had taken all he really valued from him, Alex was a welcome change of things. 

 

-

 

He found himself in a position he was now used to; sitting on the edge of Alex’s bed, legs crossed and leaning on the massive bedframe. The boy in whose eyes he was looking was trailing off into some kind of monologue about … something, Miles could not really tell as he was too busy examining the boy’s features. When he realized what he was doing, he decided to snap out of it and take part in the conversation, too. 

“And after that, Alexa advised me to publish my stories. She said that I would perhaps even be able to make a living out of it, at least partly. My father has left me more money than one sane person could ever spend in their whole life.”

Miles laughed. “As you just talked about Alexa; I would love to know how you two actually met and … fell for each other. She is a beautiful woman and, if I may say that, fits you rather well.”

“Indeed, she is …”, Alex’s expression fell. He did not look particularly enthusiastic to talk about his wife and searched for the right words while looking out of the huge window, which was framed by dark and thick, yet delicate, curtains. “We have known each other since we were really little. In fact, she has known me since I was born, being older than me.”

“That is extraordinarily romantic! Being together with a woman whom you have known for so long. It has to be so close and comfortable. But, Alex – tell me if I am going too far, please – you do not seem as attached to each other as one would expect you to be. Or is that simply due to the current circumstances?”, Miles drew a breath while waiting for an answer. He did feel comfortable around Alex and was rather certain that that was that way the other way around, too. Yet, he felt like he could have stepped over an invisible line. Alex was, after all, still his employer.

“Miles, it is alright. I certainly do not mind you asking”, he offered Miles a weak smile. “Honestly. If you do not shy away from me after what I am about to tell you at this very moment.”

“Why should I?”, he could not imagine anything that could really harm the positive attitude he had towards Alex.

“Alexa and I, we grew up together. As I told you, we have known each other for our whole lives. She is part of my family, Miles. Always has been.” He sighed. “And the … arrangement between us came about because of our parents. She had not found a husband then. And when I reached the marriageable age, my father and his brother, her father, decided that it would be a perfect opportunity for our wealth to stay inside of the family if Alexa and I became husband and wife.”

Miles eyes were wide with surprise and also contained a glimpse of confusion. He had subconsciously moved his hand to Alex’s leg as a gesture of sympathy when he responded. “God, I … why did you not refuse to do so? I mean, if you wanted to, it would also be alright, please do not misunderstand me. But…”

Alex laughed to bring some ease into the truly uncomfortable situation. “Oh, no, do you think I would have obliged if I had had any chance to escape that arrangement? My father, as head of the family, always got his will. It also is, to be sincere, not the most uncommon thing to do. My mother herself was a product of a relationship of … that nature.”

Miles was, at this very moment, incredibly happy not to have a family with any mentionable fortune that needed to be maintained and therefore always able to be with whoever he wanted to be with. He felt a great amount of sympathy for the man in front of him who had been forced into a life he, quite obviously, did not want to live.

“Oh, I can still see the shock in your eyes”, Alex laughed.

“I am not … no, I will not shy away from you, to answer your question from before. I am simply a bit perplexed, yes, that is the right word. And I am also sorry for …” He preferred leaving that sentence incomplete.

“Do not worry, me and Alexa get along. We have to.” 

Silence filled the room, and the uncertainty with which Alex had spoken the words still reverberated from the walls.

“But now, that I have told you this, I must ask, Miles: Do you have a woman at home? Someone you love, or an exciting story of that kind to tell? I doubt it could ever be as strange as what I just shared with you, but you could try.”

Miles cleared his throat. Behind all the thoughts he had occupied his mind with lately, they still were, the memories, like a beast of prey, just lurking when they could strike again and hit him harder than ever. “Me, I …”, he noticed his voice becoming raspy. “I had someone, yes. But it is over. In the past.”

Alex could feel how uncomfortable he had made Miles with his question and, despite his curiosity, decided not to push him further. All he really wanted was make Miles feel good, push all the worries aside. But he could not think of any phrase to ease his – were they friends? Miles was maybe as close to a friend to Alex as anyone had ever gotten. He wanted to get up.

“Would you mind going downstairs with me?”, he offered. Alexa was not at home and a hot and comforting cup of tea would certainly make everything better.

“Gladly”, Miles answered, that usually always present half smirk returning to his face, as he rose from the bed.

Alex pulled the heavy sheets aside and also stood up. A little too fast, he realized, when he felt himself stumble and his vision become blurry and dark.

“Standing up with one leg, Mr. Turner, especially after having lied down for such a long time, was a rather unfortunate idea”, Miles mocked, holding the small-framed boy in his arms after having prevented him from falling to the floor. “Are you alright?”

“Yes, thank you for … catching me”, Alex said as he blinked his eyes to slowly regain proper vision. He held onto Miles’ shoulder for support. 

“If you feel alright now, we could go downstairs. But I suggest you wear something warmer”, Miles said and gestured towards Alex’s body, which was only covered with a thin beige linen shirt and equally as thin trousers.

Alex had successfully made his way to the stairs, trying not to put too much weight on his injured leg while doing so, but it still inflicted severe pain. He detested being so vulnerable and was more than eager to soon be able to simply jump around when he wanted to and not to have to rest as much.

Alex’s troubles did not go unnoticed by Miles and after a short state of indecision he decided to offer help. 

“Alex?” 

This caused the smaller man to look back with a questioning gaze.

“I was just wondering if I might help you? Do not fret to accept, I’d love to.” Had he just said that?

The annoyance in Alex’s expression then faded and he accepted, deciding it would be better that way. 

Miles came closer to him and Alex hesitantly lay his arm around his neck. Being carried was something new to him, but being so close to Miles made the uncomfortable feeling he had first felt go away. The warm breath in his locks was somehow soothing.

Miles was surprised by how light Alex was. In his arms, he felt somehow fragile. He took the opportunity to examine Alex’s face from very close now. Those brown doe-like eyes that were half covered by the shaggy brown locks falling down his face. The somewhat big, but delicately shaped nose and the lips that always resembled a slight pout. He guessed that his own cheeks had to be at least as pink as Alex’s by now when Alex slowly turned his head around and hesitantly looked him directly in the eye. He could not quite make out their expression, as the moment was too short, but it was something that excited him to an unfamiliar degree yet he was not sure he wanted to know the exact nature of.

Enjoying the sensation of the boy in his arms as long as he could, he then softly lay him down on one of the velvet settees. The atmosphere was comfortable; the fire in the chimney burned weakly and there were some candles lit around the room. 

“Should I make some tea?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so incredibly much for reading!
> 
> Feedback is highly appreciated! Thanks for your lovely comments until now, I hope you liked this one, too.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to all of you who actually take their precious time to read something like this :D
> 
> As always, feedback is absolutely lovely. Really, anything that comes gets me incredibly exited. You make my day every single time!
> 
> I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible!! 
> 
> Have a nice day <3


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